What’s amazing is that not only are the songs about community but they had a community working on the album together. Other Christian artists are featured through out the album. It was more than just theory for Jars of Clay they made it a reality for the album.
There are two thoughts that I am consumed by:
We live in the shelter of each other.
In the shelter of each other we live.
They may seem to be the same thing but they aren’t. We do live in the shelter of each other. Everyone is affected by the community they live in. If the shelter has leaks and holes in it then the shelter of each other will not be comforting or safe. If the shelter is filled with bitter and passive-aggressiveness then it will not be a place of open communication and love. We live in the shelter of each other and the condition of the shelter we live in can affect how much we want to stay in that particular shelter or community.
But the real irony is that if the shelter is a bedraggled condition—then it’s not really a shelter. But something terrible. And it can be even worse than terrible if it is disguised as a shelter and is really a place of pain.
And that’s why it is in the shelter of each other we live. When we are really a shelter for each other—that is when we live. When we have community that is supportive and safe we live instead of just survive.
This picture is from the Shelter album and it embodies what I imagine my shelter to be like.
A huge, wonderful tree house where we all live together, sheltering each other.
A place where we can bring up problems and talk through it and then grow stronger together. A place where we don’t have to pretend and can relax and share of ourselves without being afraid. A place where we don’t feel alone even though we are surrounded by others. A shelter where we can live. Thrive even amidst the worst times of our lives because we are sheltering each other.
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